The present invention relates to a pedal-type leg exercise apparatus on which a user may perform different types of peddling leg exercises.
Various seated pedal-type exercise apparatuses have been commercially available for some time. Such apparatuses include a frame supported on a floor and having an integrated seat and a pedal mechanism which can be cyclically driven by a seated user. A handle structure is positioned so as to accommodate a seated user. For example, a stationary bicycle exercise machine provides a frame with a saddle-type seat and a pedal mechanism with foot pedals disposed generally directly below the seat and permits an exerciser to sit on the seat in a generally upright posture and drive the pedal mechanism, thus simulating bicycling.
A more recently popular style of pedal-type leg exercise apparatus is constructed for standing striding exercise and is known as an elliptical strider. Commercially available elliptical striders include a frame supported on a floor which carries a pedal moving mechanism. A handle structure is positioned so as to only accommodate a standing user, and no integrated seat is provided. The user stands in a generally upright posture on a pair of foot-engaging members of a pedal moving mechanism which causes the user's feet to traverse generally elliptical paths of motion. The elliptical paths of motion simulate the natural stride of a person's foot while running or walking, and the prior art proposes a variety of mechanisms by which such elliptical foot motion can be accomplished. Elliptical striders are viewed as alternatives to stair step climbing exercise machines which involve less pounding on the user's joints than stair climber exercisers.
Accordingly, to be able to perform a seated cycling exercise and standing elliptical striding exercise, a user would conventionally need a different exercise apparatus for each exercise. The need for multiple exercise apparatuses can present space problems, especially for the home user, and also lends to the added expense of purchasing multiple exercisers. Consequently, many users settle on a single apparatus and are therefor only able to perform a single pedal-type leg exercise.
It is an object of the present invention therefore to provide a single exerciser which enables a user to perform both seated cycling exercises and standing elliptical striding exercises thereon. The exerciser comprises a frame constructed and arranged to be supported on a generally horizontal supporting surface and a feet engageable moving mechanism including a pair of foot-engaging members carried by the frame in a position to support a user in a standing position thereon with a generally upright posture.
The feet engageable moving mechanism is constructed and arranged to enable each of the foot-engaging members to move in a generally elliptical cycle of movement simulating a cycle of striding foot movements by the user's feet supported thereon.
The exerciser further includes a seat mounted on the frame in a position to support a user seated thereon and a hand grip assembly mounted on the frame for movement between a first position accommodating the hands of a standing user and a second position accommodating the hands of a seated user.
The feet engageable moving mechanism provides seated foot-engaging positions and is constructed and arranged to support the feet of a user at the seated foot-engaging positions while the user is seated on the seat for movement through a cycle of foot movements different from the elliptical cycle of movements.
Accordingly, the exerciser of the present invention provides in a single device an exerciser that accommodates both seated cycling exercises and standing elliptical striding exercises while providing a hand grip assembly that can be grasped by both a seated and a standing user. The exerciser is not overly complex or costly as the same feet-engageable moving mechanism is used for both the seated cycling exercise and the standing elliptical striding exercise.
A specific type of seated cycling exercise provided by some conventional seated cycling apparatuses is a recumbent cycling exercise. The apparatus includes a frame supported on a floor and on which is mounted a seat, typically including a seat back structure, and a pedaling mechanism disposed generally below and out in front of the seat. The seated user extends his or her legs forwardly to engage and drive the pedaling mechanism with substantially horizontal forces applied by the legs during the forward leg extensions. The recumbent seated position and outstretched orientation of the user's legs cause the user's feet to always be in front of the user's knees, and result in different leg muscles being exercised compared to the upright stationary bicycle. In addition, the seat back structure of a recumbent apparatus can alleviate back discomfort experienced by some users when using upright stationary bicycles.
Again, however, if a user wishes to have the choice of performing either a recumbent cycling exercise or a standing elliptical striding exercise, the user would need two different apparatuses, one for each type of exercise.
Accordingly, it is a further object of the present invention to provide in a single apparatus, a device on which a user can perform either a recumbent cycling exercise or a standing elliptical striding exercise. The object is accomplished by a multi-purpose exercise apparatus which comprises a frame structure constructed and arranged to be supported on a generally horizontal surface, a seat mounted on the frame structure for supporting a user seated thereon; and a feet engageable moving mechanism carried by the frame structure and constructed and arranged to be engaged by the legs of a user. The feet engageable moving mechanism presents: (1) first foot receiving surfaces positioned on the feet engageable moving mechanism to support a user standing thereon with a generally upright posture, and constructed and arranged to enable each of the user's feet to move in generally elliptical cycles of movement simulating cycles of striding foot movements by the user's feet supported thereon; and (2) second foot receiving surfaces spaced further from the seat than the first foot receiving surfaces and having a vertical component enabling the user to engage the second foot receiving surfaces with a bottom portion of the user's feet while seated on the seat and to alternately extend each of the user's legs during leg extension strokes thereof to apply a substantially horizontal force component to the second foot receiving surfaces with the bottom portion of the user's feet to drive the feet engageable moving mechanism against its internal resistance. The second foot receiving surfaces are positioned on the feet engageable moving mechanism such that each of the user's legs has the foot thereof maintained forwardly of the knee thereof throughout a range of leg movement including the leg extension strokes and leg return strokes.
Accordingly, the multi-purpose exercise apparatus of the present invention provides in a single device an exerciser that accommodates both recumbent cycling exercises and standing elliptical striding exercises. The exerciser is not overly complex or costly as the same feet-engageable moving mechanism is used for both the recumbent cycling exercise and the standing elliptical striding exercise.
Seated pedal-type exerciser apparatuses and standing elliptical striding apparatuses are often equipped with oscillating handle members to be grasped by the user for movement in an oscillatory manner toward and away from the user to effect an exercise movement for each of the user's arms while performing the seated pedal-type exercise or the standing elliptical striding exercise. The seated pedal-type exerciser includes an integrated seat, and the oscillating handle members are positioned to be grasped by a seated user. The standing elliptical striding exerciser does not include an integrated seat, and the oscillating handle members are positioned to be grasped by a standing user. Thus, if a user wishes to have the flexibility of performing a seated pedal-type exercise while simultaneously performing an oscillating arm exercise or a standing elliptical striding exercise while simultaneously performing an oscillating arm exercise, the user would need two different exercise apparatuses.
It is, therefore, a further object of the present invention to provide in a single apparatus a device on which a user may perform either a seated pedal-type exercise while simultaneously performing an oscillating arm exercise or a standing elliptical striding exercise while simultaneously performing an oscillating arm exercise. This object is achieved by n exerciser comprising a frame constructed and arranged to be supported on a generally horizontal supporting surface and a feet engageable moving mechanism including a pair of foot-engaging members carried by the frame in a position to support a user in a standing position thereon with a generally upright posture. The feet engageable moving mechanism is constructed and arranged to enable each of the foot-engaging members to move in a generally elliptical cycle of movement simulating a cycle of striding foot movements by the user's feet supported thereon. The exerciser further comprises a seat mounted on the frame in a position to support a user seated thereon, and the feet engageable moving mechanism provides seated foot-engaging positions and is constructed and arranged to support the feet of a user at the seated foot-engaging positions while the user is seated on the seat for movement through a cycle of foot movements different from the elliptical cycle of movements. The exerciser includes hand grip members mounted on the frame for oscillatory movement toward and away from the user and are constructed and arranged to be grasped by either a seated user or a standing user for movement in an oscillatory manner to effect an exercising movement for each of the user's arms.
Accordingly, the exerciser of the present invention provides in a single device an exerciser that permits a user to perform either a seated pedal-type exercise while simultaneously performing an oscillating arm exercise or a standing elliptical striding exercise while simultaneously performing an oscillating arm exercise. The exerciser is not overly complex or costly as the same feet-engageable moving mechanism is used for both the seated pedal type cycling exercise and the standing elliptical striding exercise.
Other objects, features, and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following description and the appended claims with reference to the accompanying drawings, all of which form a part of the specification, and wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding parts in the various figures.